hi everyone mark a boy here again in
town this time in my tiny all-purpose
shop look around it's no surprise that I
decided to build something a little
larger in my off grid cabin location
I just finished leafing through a recent
edition of the Lee Valley catalog which
is always a good read for tool nerds
amongst myriad other things in here is
18 pages on sharpening and all the
gizmos and equipment you could ever need
it's a fantastic resource and that's
great and Lee Valley is a fantastic
company to deal with but in my
experience with chisels carving chisels
and plane blades the average woodworker
can get by with just two pieces of
equipment that yield excellent
sharpening results every time if you're
looking for a comprehensive treatise on
tool sharpening go no further I'd simply
like to share what works for me and
hopefully you to stick around
all books have been written about the
finer points of sharpening tools and of
a good reason there are a bewildering
number of tools machines and gadgets
that all sorts of people want to sell
you it's tough to know where to start
traditionally sharpening has implied the
use of a grinding wheel followed by
honing on an oil stone or whetstone it
can be very difficult to maintain
accuracy using a grinding wheel and
using a stone Holy edge can be somewhat
messy and tedious both operations can be
difficult for the average user to master
and often involve the use of additional
jigs or fixtures believe me I've tried
all sorts of methods and systems over
the years I have oil stones
japanese-style water stones diamond
things jigs and fixtures etc my method
may upset some purists who sometimes
obsess about micro edges etc but I'm
trying to demonstrate basic sharpening
that doesn't take a lifetime to master
the best tools are always sharp tools
and I'm trying to speak to the majority
of users who often find the sharpening
process somewhat intimidating let's
start with one of my general-purpose
chisels that I dropped a little while
ago and who hasn't dropped a chisel on
the floor this is what I do to restore
the edge high speed grinders even if you
use a cool white wheel have a tendency
to overheat the tool edge even with
practice and sometimes cooling water
grinders can prove problematic here's my
tool of choice for resurrecting and
shaping a blunt edge it's my good old
belt sander equipped with an appropriate
abrasive belt
I find this a much easier system than a
high speed grinding setup belt Sanders
come in various shapes and sizes this
one suits me fine for all-round use in
the shop much is made of the bevel angle
on chisel and plane blades no doubt this
is important but a degree or two he
there isn't going to ruin your day
particularly when it comes to basic
chisels so relax as you offer the chisel
up to the running belt get a feel for
the angle required use some sort of
guide if you wish take it easy
mindful not to overheat the edge most
belts run slower than grinding wheels so
all the heating is easier to control
particularly if you have a water bath
nearby frequent light contact with the
belts and platon is the order of the day
I have a habit of using whatever belt
happens to be currently installed on the
machine usually 80 grit usually quite
warm obviously you can get a better edge
with a sharper finer grit but I am often
too lazy to switch right away until you
satisfy the chisel edge is presentable
compared with its previous self and
don't forget a conventional sharp chisel
only works well when beveled on the one
side just as it came out of the factory
you should have removed all signs of
damage or bluntness and if so you're now
ready to go to the final stage to tune
what you've already started I'm back at
the grinder this time on the buffing
wheel side I'm about to use a simple
cloth buffing wheel and a little
polishing compound hopefully you've
achieved an accurate consistent edge at
close to the appropriate angle I have
various compounds lying around but as
long as it qualifies is fine that's all
we need and now buffing to a mirror
finish it give it the edge we need
aggressive polishing will distort the
edge don't overdo it give it a once-over
on the backside to clean everything up
and now let's see what we've got my old
high school woodwork teacher used to
test a newly sharpened chisel by shaving
hairs off the back of his hand
and this works just as well today be
careful but experience the satisfaction
of bringing your previously blunt chisel
back from the dead
try it out cutting across the grain on a
piece of soft wood
a difficult remember for any chiseler
even use and a clean finish further
indicate success now you can get back to
work
once again my way is not the only way
and you may develop techniques which
work better for you some of you may
disagree with my method but I am only
sharing what works for me
90% of the time that's it for now thanks
for watching as always keep your queries
and polite comments coming I read them
all and respond to as many as I can and
don't forget to follow me on instagram
between videos at marco boy bu o why see
you next time who knows what I'll be up
to buy them
you